Affordable and sustainable self-powered GLUCOSE sensing system for a global FAIR diabetes management

Introduction

FAIRGLUCOSE proposes a low-cost, sustainable, and self-powered standalone glucose sensing system that relies on the well-known oxidation process of glucose coming from finger prick blood. This system transfers the glucose measurement to a voltage readout through an innovative and extremely simple strategy.

Device Design

In this way, a measurement that typically requires a potentiostat with a microcontroller and a battery is performed here with a minimalistic and battery-less circuit that fits within the footprint of a commercial glucose strip.

Benefits

This design allows for:

• A reduction in device cost
• A decrease in the generation of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or e-waste)

By avoiding the cumulative effect of millions of tests and their corresponding batteries performed at remote sites away from adequate recycling infrastructures, the environmental impact is significantly lessened.

Result Interpretation

In order to interpret the result, the strip can be integrated into a card format that translates voltage into level bars accounting for:

1. Low glucose indicators
2. Normal glucose indicators
3. High glucose indicators

This solution could substitute urine strips or be designed into a more sophisticated but still low-cost card containing an NFC chip, allowing the transfer of a numeric result into a cell phone.

Technology Implementation

Both cards could be implemented with state-of-the-art flexible electronics technologies and could be reused infinitely, as energy would always come from the sample.

Target Market

The first targeted market of FAIRGLUCOSE solutions is located in low and middle-income countries, where the cost of current glucometers severely limits the self-monitoring of blood glucose among the population.

Future Prospects

However, in the mid-term, it is likely that the sustainability and affordability of the approach will displace the current glucose players in some market niches of developed countries and generate new applications in the healthcare and agro-food arena.

Conclusion

Thus, FAIRGLUCOSE aims to investigate the commercial feasibility of this disruptive approach and create an innovation roadmap that allows deploying the technology where it can make the most impact.